Lisa Marie Vari

Divorce and other family law problems do not need to devastate you financially or ruin your relationship with your children.

Our office offers a free initial telephone appointment. Detailed, client specific consultations are also available. Call my office toll-free at 1-844-VARI-LAW (1-844-827-4529) or our main office in Pittsburgh at 412-281-9906 to learn how we can help you resolve your family law or divorce issues.

Practice Areas

Divorce

Family Law

Domestic Violence

Juvenile Law

Fees

Free ConsultationFree initial 15 minute telephone appointment.

Credit Cards AcceptedDebit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover

Rates, Retainers and Additional Information.Call our office toll-free at 1-844-VARI-LAW (1-844-827-4529) or locally at 412-281-9906 to learn about our fees.

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

Florida

Pennsylvania

U.S. Supreme Court

Languages

English: Spoken, Written

Professional Experience

Founding Partner - Lawyer

Lisa Marie Vari & Associates

1995 - Current

Family law firm with offices located in Pittsburgh, Cranberry Township, Canonsburg and Clearfield, Pennsylvania and Miami, Florida. Office limits its practice to family law issues in Pennsylvania and Florida including divorce, child and spousal support, alimony, paternity, equitable distribution, child custody, grandparents rights, adoption, juvenile law, domestic violence, surrogacy contracts, and related issues.

Judicial Law Clerk, Judge Max Baer

Family Division, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County

1993 - 1995

Assisted Administrative Judge of Family Division in resolution of cases before the Court involving divorce, support, custody, paternity, and related issues.

Legal Intern

Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Justice Ralph Cappy

1992 - 1992

Assisted Judicial Law Clerks in researching and drafting opinions on behalf of the late Justice.

A: Legally, no. In Pennsylvania, a parent considering moving with their child(ren) must give formal notice to the non-relocating parent. The non-relocating parent may object to the move. If he or she does object, the court will intervene. A hearing is then conducted in a Pennsylvania court. The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether the parent is permitted by the court to move their minor children.
Please feel free to read my blog on relocation, linked below.
http://www.pafamilylawyers.com/blog/2015/01/pennsylvania-law-regarding-relocation-with-a-minor-child.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: If you are able to come to an agreement, you can file a consent order through your local court outlining the visitation schedule. This is not a necessary step if there are no custody disagreements between yourself and the child's mother, but if you foresee any conflict with her it wouldn't be a bad idea to already have an order in place.
Please feel free to visit my website for more information on filing for custody in PA:
https://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Child-Custody/PA-Child-Custody-Court.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: To start you must figure out which state has jurisdiction over the matter.
Jurisdiction is usually proper where the child has been residing for the past 6 consecutive months, so it sounds like that may be New Jersey in your case. If so, you will need to file for custody through the New Jersey courts and all matters will be litigated there unless they relinquish jurisdiction.
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: In custody court the judge will look to the 16 custody factors and decide what is in the best interest of the child. Included in those factors is the abuse of alcohol or drugs, so his history will be considered in a custody case. He will likely be entitled to some kind of relationship with your child; the question is whether you have sufficient evidence to prove you believe he may be harmful and therefore limit his contact to supervised visitation. That being said, it is also common for the court to order reunification counseling prior to commencing a visitation schedule if the child and parent have been apart for a significant amount of time.
If you receive a complaint for custody you should contact an experienced family law attorney to decide the best course of action for your situation.
Please feel free to visit my website to learn more about the factors PA judges take into consideration in custody cases. http://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Child-Custody/Determining-Custody-in-PA.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: In Pennsylvania, child support is generally payable until a child reaches eighteen years old or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. A support obligation may continue, however, when a child has special needs.
You must file a request for a hearing to determine if modification of the support order is appropriate. Until a petition for modification is filed with the family court and a new court order is entered, the parent paying support is required to continue making payments as outlined in the existing support court order.
Please feel free to visit my website for more information on filing a support modification in Pennsylvania.
https://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Child-Support/Modifying-Enforcing-Child-Support.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: You can file at any time after the child is born. Support payments are retroactive to the date of filing, so generally the sooner you file, the better.
Please feel free to visit my website for more information on filing for child support in Pennsylvania.
https://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Child-Support/PA-Child-Support-Office.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: In Pennsylvania, child support is payable until a child reaches eighteen years old or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. The fact that she is pregnant does not negate your obligation to pay child support.
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: It all depends on what the deed says. If their name is on the deed, they are still part owner of the home. The fact that you have been living there and paying the mortgage etc. is irrelevant. Conversely, if their name is only on the mortgage and not the deed, they do not own any interest in the home (but are still on the hook financially to the lender).
Equitable distribution, or the division of marital assets and debts in Pennsylvania must be completed prior to the entry of a divorce decree or the claim is lost. As your decree was entered in 2017, you are no longer entitled to divide this property through the equitable distribution process.
Please feel free to visit my website for more information on property division in a Pennsylvania divorce.
https://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Property-and-Debt-Division/
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com

A: In Pennsylvania, child support is payable until a child reaches eighteen years old or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. So even though your child is turning 18, the support obligation will not be terminated if your son is still in school.
In any event, you may file for a modification anytime there has been a change in circumstances (e.g., father's increase in income). Also important to note is the fact that a support modification will only be retroactive to the date of filing. Therefore, it is important to file sooner than later to avoid missing out on payments you may have otherwise been entitled to.
Please feel free to visit my website for more information on filing a support modification in Pennsylvania.
https://www.pafamilylawyers.com/Child-Support/Modifying-Enforcing-Child-Support.shtml
Lisa Marie Vari, Esquire
www.pafamilylawyers.com